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The Swellers are in the studio and celebrate 10th anniversary

July 2nd, 2012 by Megan Washington

Sometimes, the only way to get bigger is to get back to the basics. For Flint, MI’s rock powerhouse THE SWELLERS, getting back to the basics means leaving the major label environment and returning to what’s most important – the music. “I learned that punk rock has very little room for middle men and that everything The Swellers have achieved in the past couple of years is because of self-promotion and touring our asses off,” says vocalist/guitarist Nick Diener on why they’ve decided to do it on their own. Adds brother/drummer Jonathan Diener, “The main thing that the major label situation taught me was to be prepared for reality. You can build up everything in your head, have unrealistic expectations, but at the end of the day, you’re not truly in control in that environment.”

This epiphany comes at a very pivotal and important moment in their history – the end of their first decade as a band and the beginning of their second. To celebrate, The Swellers 10 Year Anniversary will take place at the venue that birthed them, FLINT LOCAL 432 (124 W. First St., Flint, MI 48502) on August 3, 2012 (7pm doors; $7) with support from Making Friends, Pentimento, Midwest and Vagabond.

And with the start of Decade #2, The Swellers know this is prime time for a new beginning… though this time, it’s not about starting over, but about returning to their roots. “Most bands would say ‘this is our most mature release to date’, but not this time,” states Nick. “This is just the most real, stress-free record we’ve ever put out and because of this, they quickly became our favorite songs we’ve ever written.”

“A lot of people asked if I would take the last few years back, but honestly, it just helped shape who we were,” Jonathan continues with nary a regret from the past. “We learned what works and what doesn’t. Now it’s time for us to not give a shit and just have fun, the exact same way we did things at our first band practice in our parents’ basement.”

Hot on the heels of the release of the 7” Vehicle City Blues (released in a partnership with SideOneDummy Records) which remarkably sold out this past May of its entire limited run during presale even before it was released and with almost zero promotion, the upcoming EP will be released on their own label (more information to be unveiled soon). Truly embracing their renewed independent spirit, they aren’t relying on fans’ goodwill by begging a la Kickstarter. Funded entirely through funds generated through shows and selling merchandise, the recording and production of this EP is wholly on their shoulders. “If our fans would like to support us in this venture, we really hope they pick up the record,” says Nick. “This time, they can be sure that the money is going straight to the band so we can continue touring.”

Armed with an armada of newly-penned songs and a whole lot of old-fashioned punk rock energy, the band are hard at work on the upcoming release, an as-yet-unnamed EP set for release in Fall 2012. With drums recorded at 37 Studios in Rochester, MI and guitars currently being tracked at Nick’s house in Saginaw, MI, the band is on a mission to truly take the reins this time with production done by the band. “I’m actually engineering this myself and recording most of it in my home studio here in Michigan,” explains Nick. “Mark Michalik, who made all of our records from 2004-2009, came up to engineer the drums and will record my vocals. I trust him and it’s great to keep this record in the ‘family’ again.”

The EP is giving the band a new lease on life, pursuing their dream to be the biggest band on the planet. “The best part of returning to the DIY situation is knowing if anything goes wrong, we have ourselves to blame,” says Jonathan. “We wrote five songs with no hidden intentions, just some therapeutic venting. It’s our time for reinvention. I think it’s about time things get interesting again.”

The Swellers is Nick Diener (vocals/guitar), Jonathan Diener (drums), Ryan Collins (guitar) and Anto Boros (bass). Their latest 7” release Vehicle City Blues was released on SideOneDummy Records and is currently sold out.